Living Forever
by ReoPlusOne
Summary: Ike, if you are reading this, it means that I am dying, perhaps right before you. My final wish is that you read this letter, so that you may know how I feel as I draw my last breaths. IkeSoren, character death, tragedy, angst


"Oh…Ow…"

"Soren!"

Everyone began to rush to the mage's aid, but Ike barked at them all to halt. The last thing the boy needed was a ton of people around him, taking up his space. Ike strode over to him, probably faster than he should have, and the enemy sage and laguz that had done this injustice were cut down like wheat without a second thought from the general. Ike hadn't even needed to use the sharp end of his blade, thanks to Soren's final elfire attack. The young black haired mage was collapsed on the battlefield, in a patch of tall grass. He needed Ike more than ever now. He was on his side, Ike noted silently. Ike put a hand on the boy's hip, and the other took his hand away from the wound that he was clutching to so desperately. It was bad, very bad.

"I-Ike…" He gasped. "Please…" The other sage had used a wind tome, sucking all the air from Soren's lungs, from his bloodstream, from every corner of his body, crushing his ribs as well. Ike had seen the way Soren's enemies often fell; clutching at their chests, begging for air…And for mercy. Soren was gulping down the air like it was water and he was in a desert. He lifted his head up slowly, like a fatally wounded animal, and looked at the gash. All he saw was blood.

"Soren, you're going to be alright. Breathe, breathe…"

At Ike's words, he laughed softly. It was more like a soft wheezing noise. "Ike…" He seemed to be fumbling with his robes, searching for something. He pulled out a letter, its back sealed with a red, intricate emblem of a dragon. He was panting feebly as he held the letter out in a shaking hand. Ike grasped that hand, steadying it, giving Soren a squeeze. "You're going to be alright, you're going to be alright," The general chanted.

"You…" A hoarse cough came from the mage. "You aren't fooling anyone, Ike." He smiled weakly, the color in his red eyes dimming like a flickering lamplight.

"Soren, no! You're going to be alright. Calm down, you're going to live for a long, long time, don't worry, just breathe."

Another smile came, this one much grimmer than the last. "Read it," He said, gesturing to the letter.

"I'll read it later, we'll read it together."

"No…Ike…I am not bound to this world for much longer…Read it…" He sucked in a low, soft breath. Ike obeyed, tearing apart the seal like he always did and flipping open the letter.

_Ike,_

_If you are reading this, it means that I am dying, perhaps right before you. My final wish is that you read this letter, so that you may know how I feel as I draw my last breaths._

_I am a cave, sometimes. Most of the time, actually. The very center of a cave, where there is no sunlight, no hope, and no happiness, that's what I am. Just black, everywhere. But you are nothing like me. You are my guiding light, Ike. You are the last sliver of sunlight to reach into my cave of a soul. You are the only one who has ever meant this much to me, and the only one who I will ever feel this way for. I've been afraid to say that I love you for so long that writing it down now frightens me. Perhaps I will never get to kiss you, but I love you all the same. Perhaps I will never get to make love to you, but that doesn't mean that I will ever cease loving you. You are my everything. When I breathe, I breathe you. When I cry, you are my tears. When I feel like singing, you are there to be my lungs._

_I would like to die with you right there. And I want you to go on without me. Marry Elincia, have some children, live yourself a good life. But forget about me, and don't ever think of what could have been. _

_I want to be buried somewhere far, far away from any graveyard. I have lived my life being bothered and annoyed by other people; I don't want my afterlife to be filled with the same sort of bullshit. The only person who never once annoyed me is you._

_It is in my final minutes that I give you my last thoughts on this matter. Because this is a rather somber moment, I will finish with a story._

_There was once a hopeless little boy named Soren. He hated everything, even himself. He was a filthy half-breed, an abomination of nature, and for this he was damned. But one day, he found his other half, the one that made his heart beat faster, the one who made butterflies flutter about in his stomach. _

_This person had blue hair, and blue eyes, and his name was Ike. Ike was the only person who ever showed Soren any kindness, and for that, Soren loved him. One day, Soren finally mustered up the courage to tell Ike this, only to find…_

_Perhaps you can finish the story, Ike?_

_Soren_

Ike set the letter down, and looked to Soren, who was in his final moments. The mage whispered, "Well, Ike?"

The general choked out a sob as he finished the story. "…Only to find that Ike loved him too. And the two ran away together and lived forever in happiness and love."

Soren smiled a genuine smile. "Thank you, Ike."


End file.
